Several schools in the local area are set to benefit from a major investment in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, thanks to a regional partnership led by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
TVA, in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Inc. (BVI), a TVA retiree organization, has awarded $1.5 million in STEM classroom grants to 339 schools across the Tennessee Valley region. The program is expected to impact more than 114,000 students during the upcoming school year.
Among this year’s local grant recipients are:
- Neshoba Central Elementary School, through Central Electric Power Association
- Neshoba Central High School, through Philadelphia Utilities
- Weir Elementary School, through 4-County Electric Power Association
- Winston–Louisville Career and Technology Center, through Louisville Utilities
Each of these schools receives power from a local utility served by TVA, making them eligible for the highly competitive program.
The grants, which can total up to $5,000 per school, support hands-on classroom projects and equipment focused on STEM learning. Preference is given to proposals tied to TVA’s priority areas of environment, energy, economic development and community problem-solving.
“As students get more exposure to STEM concepts early on, they’re better prepared for future careers in high-demand fields,” TVA officials said in announcing the awards. Since the program began in 2018, TVA and BVI have invested more than $9 million in STEM education, supporting over 845,000 students across the region.
The STEM grants are administered through the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, managed by the Battelle organization. This year’s awards were selected from 528 applications submitted by educators throughout the TVA service area.
TVA officials say the goal of the program is to inspire students and help communities strengthen their workforce pipeline through early exposure to science and technology.
A complete list of grant recipients is available at tva.com/stem.
